Using Drones in Modal Music

A drone has two basic features:

It is almost always the tonic pitch, or the fifth

It is a constant, long pitch that continues on and on

Drone can either be created through a long, sustained note, or through the use of repeating the same note over and over. Since the guitar doesn’t have a very long sustain, guitar drones would probably by the repeated note variety. Drone music occurs quite naturally for some instruments:

Bagpipes play a long, almost eternal tonic drone. This is the reason why the bagpipe is so often modal.

Banjo often makes use of the drone, but in the form of repeated open strings.

Sitar makes use of the drone as well, but by means of an instrument design which causes the drone note to be heard no matter what other note is played.

Organ music often uses the drone

Drones in Modal Music

It is sometimes difficult to write modal music because of the tendency for any chords built in a mode to gravitate towards the stable relative major or relative minor key. For instance, if the mode E Phrygian contains the same notes as C major and A minor. Unless the E note is constantly reinforced as the tonic pitch, the ear will start to hear the notes of E Phrygian as belonging either to C major or A minor.

Application for Guitar Players

Probably the most common way for guitar players to use drones is to play an open string repeatedly, and use that as the basis or drone to reinforce the tonal center. For instance, you can repeatedly play the low “A” string, and then play A Mixolydian on the upper strings. The drone note will help reinforce the tonal center, which will help to preserve a modal sound.